Berlin Start

Program description

With "Berlin Start", IBB offers low-interest loans for companies that are no more than seven years old, even if ehave little collateral. The start-up loan or expansion financing of up to EUR 1.5 million is granted in conjunction with a guarantee of up to 80% from the BBB Bürgschaftsbank zu Berlin-Brandenburg. The financing share is up to 100%, the minimum loan amount is €5,000.

Financing is provided for investments as well as the initial equipment of a material or goods warehouse, the takeover price in the case of a company succession, the working capital requirements (running costs).

Institution

Investitionsbank Berlin (IBB)

IBB is the development bank of the State of Berlin. With its economic development activities, it actively contributes to the development of Berlin as a business location.

Deadline

The application must be submitted before the start of the project (e.g. before the conclusion of a purchase contract), as debt rescheduling and subsequent financing are not possible.

Funding period

Term: 6 - 10 years with up to 2 repayment-free initial years

Funding criteria

Support is available for

• Start-ups in the field of trade and industry and the liberal professions, as well as the takeover of an existing company.
• Small and medium-sized enterprises(SMEs) in the commercial sector and freelancers whose date of foundation is no more than 7 years before the application is submitted.

The investment location must be in Berlin.

Additional conditions

Even if the bank finances the project up to 100% and no equity is required, all possible standard bank collateral should be provided in addition to the integrated BBB guarantee.

A processing fee of currently 1.5% of the loan amount applied for and an ongoing guarantee commission of currently 1.75% p.a. of the loan amount are charged for the guarantee when the application is submitted.

Expenses for (commercial)

Pre-financing/Liquidity, Investment costs, Patents/Intellectual property rights protection, Material costs, Operating expenses, Personnel expenses

Funding focuses on

Start-up/Foundation & consolidation, Corporate growth

Funding conditions (commercial)

no equity required, house bank/financing partner required

Stage of the company/self-employment

up to 1 year after founding, up to 3 years after founding, up to 5 years after founding, up to 7 years after founding, company succession

Company Sizes

solo self-employed/one-man business, micro enterprise, small enterprise, medium-sized enterprise

Application type

Download form, House bank procedure

Application procedure/documents

The application - also for the BBB guarantee - is made using the application form provided for this purpose and must be submitted to the house bank with the required documents (see checklist). If the review is positive, the bank approves the loan on the application form and forwards the application documents to the BBB. Once the documents have been checked, they are forwarded by the BBB to the IBB to check the eligibility requirements. The loan agreement is ultimately concluded with the bank.

During the examination, particular attention is paid to a coherent business concept as well as the required technical and commercial qualifications of the entrepreneur or team.

Contacting IBB as early as possible is recommended. The customer advisory service will not only answer detailed questions about the programme, but will also be happy to assist with the application process.

Jury/Decision-making body

The decision on granting the loan is made by the house bank after a credit check. The application is then reviewed by the BBB and the IBB.

Assistance/Downloads

Product sheet "Berlin Start" (PDF), Product video, Leaflet (PDF)

FAQ Url

Funded by

European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), BBB Bürgschaftsbank zu Berlin-Brandenburg GmbH, Senate Department for Economic Affairs

Funding area

State of Berlin